External Asset Directory (Portal)

A public-facing equipment catalogue for your lab or facility

Numerous research organizations are required to present their instruments, capabilities, and services to external audiences, such as industry partners, visiting researchers, collaborators, startups, or other departments. However, requiring visitors to create an account or log in merely to explore available resources introduces unnecessary obstacles.

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BookitLab’s External Catalogue (Portal) solves this by allowing you to publish a public, login-free catalogue of your instruments and equipment in a clean, searchable format.

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What is the External Catalogue?

The External Catalogue is a publicly accessible interface of your lab’s equipment and services. Visitors can explore available resources without authentication, simplifying discovery and engagement.

It provides external visitors with:

• A list of available instruments and services
• Descriptions, specifications, images, and additional details

• Lab or facility locations
• Option to book an item right from the site, or just contact information with links for further inquiries if you prefer this way.

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Why Use a Public Catalogue

A public-facing catalogue is ideal for organizations that want to:

• Promote their equipment and capabilities to external researchers
• Improve visibility for internal and cross-department collaboration
• Support industry partnerships and commercial service offerings
• Automate incoming inqueries and manual communication
• Present a professional, structured overview of infrastructure to visiting scientists
• Comply with funding requirements that ask for transparency in shared resources

For core facilities, research institutes, universities, and multi-site organizations, the External Catalogue becomes a valuable communication tool.

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Flexible Deployment Options

BookitLab offers flexible deployment options depending on your needs.

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1. Dedicated External Portal

A standalone, branded portal managed by Bookitlab, designed to present your equipment as a structured external website.
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This option includes:

• Custom design aligned with institutional branding
• Structured data organization for clear navigation
• SEO-friendly pages to improve discoverability
• Support for multi-facility or multi-campus structures

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Suitable for organizations seeking a fully managed, external-facing catalogue without internal development overhead.

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2. Embedded Catalogue (iFrame Integration)

Embed the catalogue directly within your existing website using an iframe component.

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This allows you to:

• Maintain full control over your website structure
• Keep all content within a single web environment
• Ensure automatic synchronization with Bookitlab data

The iframe version automatically syncs with BookitLab, ensuring the published catalogue is always up to date.

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Always accurate, always up to date

The External Catalogue is directly connected to your internal Bookitlab system. Updates to equipment, descriptions, or availability are reflected automatically in the public view.

This removes the need for duplicate systems or manual content maintenance.

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A simple way to open your capabilities to the world

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With BookitLab’s External Catalogue, you can professionally present your equipment to external collaborators, industry partners, and potential clients without authentication barriers or extra administrative work.

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Whether as a standalone portal or a seamless component on your existing website, it’s an easy way to make your facility more visible, transparent, and accessible.